Last month, you may have read in the news that the former Bosnian leader, Radovan Karadzic, was convicted of genocide. A United Nations Tribunal convicted Mr. Karadzic of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the Siege of Sarajevo and the mass killings of thousands of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995. Although the conviction was delivered over 20 years since the genocide in Bosnia, this was a historic conviction that may bring some closure for those who suffered through the violence.

After the Bosnian war, many Bosnians fled the country and settled in the United States. Bosnians resettled in Connecticut, especially in the Hartford area where a large Bosnian community exists today. I spoke last week to Alma, a Red Cross volunteer who has helped Bosnians in CT find out what happened to their family members separated by conflict through the Restoring Family Links Program. In Alma’s case, she has mostly notified Bosnians when their family member’s remains have been found. While Alma had to deliver somber news to Bosnian families in CT, she also felt it brought a sense of closure to families waiting for news about their loved ones for so many years.

As the Red Cross prepares for Genocide Awareness Month in April, Alma’s volunteer work and the news of Karadzic’s conviction remind us of the lingering impact of genocide around the world, and here in our own state.